Zoning FAQ 2

May a municipality provide for a plan commission with a make-up different than is set forth in the statutes?

The first sentence of Wis. Stat. sec.
62.23(1)(a), made applicable to villages by sec. 61.35, provides that
all seven members of the plan commission are to be appointed by the
mayor (or village president), and the mayor or village president may
choose the commission’s presiding officer. In addition, the statute
provides that the mayor (village president) may appoint himself or
herself and other municipal elected or appointed officials to the plan
commission. The statute also provides that the commission must have at
least three citizen members who are not municipal officials. However,
the last sentence of Wis. Stat. sec. 62.23(1)(a) states that a municipal
governing body may by ordinance provide that the membership of the plan
commission shall be as set forth in the ordinance.